The European Union has 24 official and about 60 regional languages. Linguistic diversity is an important feature of European identity. Every year on February 21, under the auspices of the UN, International Mother Language Day is celebrated, within the framework of which, in particular, the ideas of multilingual education are promoted. The editors of Euronews Culture decided to find out which European countries have the most polyglots?
In general, Europeans have a good command of languages: about 65% of the population of the continent can speak at least one language other than their mother tongue. By comparison, only 20% of American adults can do it.
At the same time, there are significant differences between different geographical and cultural zones. Thus, the Scandinavian countries traditionally lead in the rankings of foreign language proficiency (mainly English), while in the south of Europe the figures are more modest. It is also not surprising that countries where English is their mother tongue do not show much interest in learning foreign languages: only half of the inhabitants of Ireland speak a language other than their mother tongue, and the British show the worst result — only 34%.
HOW BECOMING BILINGUAL (OR EVEN MULTI-LINGUITE)?
Being fluent in multiple languages is a highly valued skill in the professional world (you can't argue with that if you work for Euronews' Tower of Babel!). It's also a great way to discover other cultures and connect with people from all over the world, but it doesn't automatically make you bi- or multi-lingual.
To become bilingual, you must either be born into a bilingual family (child bilingualism) or learn a second language while studying, working or moving to another country (late
strong> or acquired bilingualism).
Experts in psycholinguistics agree that the earlier you start learning a second language, the easier it is to master it. Experts recommend two main communication strategies for parents:
- separation into «home language» and the language the child speaks outside the home;
- «one person» — «one language».
In the event that German parents raise their children in Sweden, the first strategy can help the latter learn German — the only language of everyday communication — and integrate into the new society, studying in a Swedish school and communicating with peers.
The second method is suitable for a family in which the mother is Polish, the father is Slovak, while they live in Hungary. The mother will only speak Polish to the child, and the father only Slovak. Most often, in such situations, parents address each other in another language — either in the language of the country in which they live, or in the language of one of the partners, or in English.
You can often hear concerns that there is an association between early bilingualism and delayed speech development. In fact, it is not uncommon for a bilingual child to learn vocabulary more slowly or confuse words, but only at a certain stage, the lag (some prefer the term «pseudo retardation») is quickly corrected.
Modern language research confirms that equal proficiency in two or more languages has a beneficial effect on the development of a child's cognitive abilities. Bilingualism can also delay the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.